An hour after I set out with Scar and Smell, we were deep inside an immense thornbush. It was three meters or more high and so deep I didn't see the end.
Groaning as another thorn scratched one of my uncovered arms, I pushed a few branches out of my way. The two Wirgs easily navigated the undergrowth, barely slowed down. Every few seconds, they stopped and waited for me.
I should have found some plant control spell, I thought as I stared at the thick area of prickly plants ahead of me. When night fell, I had to try and create some wooden arm-guards. Perhaps a helmet. But not now. Smell had made it clear we weren't in a safe location.
"How much further?" I whispered, looking at the lead Wirg.
Smell sniffed and keened softly. I'd begun to interpret it as her way of telling me to shut up and get a move on.
"Fine, fine. I'm coming."
A while later, both of the Wirgs stopped moving as one, their large triangular ears rotating in the same direction. They heard something. Holding my breath, I listened but heard nothing but the constant cracking and groaning of branches and the soft howling of the wind.
Wait. Nothing? Where were the bird sounds?
I dropped in a crouch and stared into the same direction as the Wirgs. It started with the loud snapping of branches. At first, I saw nothing, but then a dark shape moved in the distance. It was large enough that it was visible through multiple gaps between the bushes, seeming to span an area at least a few meters wide.
The two Wirgs began backing up, a soft whimper coming from Scar. They looked at me, and I could tell they would flee at any moment. They probably would have had I not been there.
"What is it?" I whispered.
A roar came from the direction of the movement, and amidst the breaking and snapping of branches, something barreled my way. Smell turned and bolted away, disappearing inside the thorn bushes. Scar was backing up as her gaze switched between me and the incoming figure.
Starting to feel a rising tension, I looked for a place to hide or at least open ground to fight. There were only thorn bushes. A vague long shadow fifty meters away signaled a tree, but it would be surrounded by brambles that wound up to the first branches.
The incoming thing sounded like an oncoming freight train, and it was coming straight for me. I couldn't stay there! Putting an arm in front of my eyes, I rushed to the side, bloody gashes appearing across my arms and bare shoulders. The leather armor was thick enough to block most of the things that poked my chest and legs, but I felt an occasional prick showing some got through. My green hitpoint bar hovered in front of me, and I saw the damage slowly chipping away at it.
A few meters away, I heard the thing barrel across where I had been and stop. A loud sniffing and slobbering followed. What the fuck was it? Whatever it was, it could either smell or hear me because a heavy thudding moved towards me.
There was no way to get out of here, even if I were willing to risk an eye and just run for it. I turned around, readying my ax. A two-meter high, two-meter wide blur moved towards me. Between the brown brambles, I saw patches of coarse green and yellow hairs. A thick, pungent smell preceded the biggest and ugliest wart-hog I'd ever seen. With branches instead of tusks and hair like old moldy grass, its two burning green eyes glared at me through the remaining thorn branches that separated us.
Three of my hands began forming the Befriend spell at a speed that made it seem they were holding a contest. They finished as the plant boar dug it's left front hoof in the ground in a familiar gesture of impending stampede. The hog stopped for a split second, then shook its head and snorted. Yellow drool leaked from its mouth, dripping on the ground.
"Ah, shit," I grunted as I began casting entanglement. I should have gone with that first!
Stepping sideways, ignoring the additional scratches and pain, I tried to distract it. The spell cost ten seconds, but right now, that seemed like forever. My two hands were barely halfway through the casting when the hog lowered it's head and charged across the last six meters that separated us. The thorn branches snapped to pieces. Covering my eyes with one arm, I rushed out of its path, jumping the last bit.
I managed to land on my knees, and one of my hands fumbled. On knees and hands, I crawled forward, hoping to circle the hog so it would need to turn instead of charge. My moves weren't fast enough, and the hog swirled around one of it's paws, stomping on my leg. A sharp pain flashed through my leg as something cracked. My hitpoint bar dropped a fifth of the way down and turned yellow.
In a pained blur, I rolled on my back, somehow managing to keep my wits about me and continuing the spell. My eyes fell on a massive ball sack dangling between its legs, and in pain, I jabbed my ax forward. The tip sliced through the side of the sack, and the hog screeched with it's mouth wide open, almost rupturing my eardrums.
Scooching back, away from the trampling front legs, my hand finished the spell. I hadn't used it before and prayed it would hold the hog. Green sparks flew from my hands, and something seemed to build up inside the palm. Instinctively I held my hand forward, and a green burst of sparks streamed forward, falling on the trampled branches on the ground.
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For a short moment, nothing happened. The hog turned, its piercing eyes taking me in, and I feared for the worst. Then a shiver ran through the branches in front of me. The hog's gaze snapped to the movement at the exact moment that all of the branches grew and stretched. Like snakes, they hovered in the air for a moment before shooting towards the hog, winding around its legs and torso.
The hog bucked and jerked, snapping branches while trying to move away. But for every branch it snapped, dozens took its place, and within moments they engulfed the hog. It seemed as if the whole thorn brush had come to life to attack him.
The thorn filled branches wrapped around it, tighter and tighter, but the Hogs thick skin proved too much. None of the thorns pierced its skin, and I realized it wouldn't be harmed. Worse, as soon as it got free, it would come after me again. I scrambled up, limping on one leg. The pain from the other one was too much, and I knew I couldn't run away. Anxious, angry, and in pain, I could think of one other option.
Holding the ax, I limped around the hog, away from its dangerous tusks, until I stood beside it. Holding the ax with all four hands, I sliced at the barely visible knee joint. Without using both my feet, I couldn't put as much power behind the swing as I wanted, and the ax sliced only partially through, splitting a few of the thorn-branches that had wrapped around it.
A second, higher-pitched scream came from the wrapped-up hog.
Striking again, it took a dozen blows to split the incredibly tough leg bone. As soon as it gave out, I moved to the next leg.
Two minutes later, I stood beside the now dismembered hog that lay on its belly on the ground. My breath was ragged, and my leg a mass of pain. The hog's howls of pain had turned to a low droning sound as it gazed at me with a look of fear.
"Too late to whine now, you big lug of bacon," I growled through clenched teeth.
Looking at my yellow hitpoint bar, I saw it was slowly but steadily emptying. Was I bleeding? I summoned my status and saw two bars fill and empty. A surge of energy followed, but the hitpoint bar barely moved. Instead, a moment later, another chunk dropped away. I shivered. Not bleeding, but poisoned?
Sitting down, I gently removed my leg armor and choked. A small piece of white bone stuck through a massive purple-red blotch on my leg, and small green specs dotted the edges of a gaping wound. Turning my head to the side, I swallowed back the bile forming in the back of my throat. Bleeding and poisoned then.
Grabbing the nearest branch, I made the gestures of Share Lifeforce. A few seconds later, my hand glowed green, and I felt a trickle of energy flow into my hand. That's it? I groaned as I tried again, with even less success. This thing didn't have enough lifeforce! I needed something bigger!
I removed the shirt Eliandra had given me from my pack and gently bound it around my leg. Placing my leg armor in my bag, I got back up and looked around. My mind was growing hazy from seeing all the blood spilling from my body and the damage I was taking. As I looked around, my eyes fell on the hog. It was still alive; the branches wrapped tightly around it. A glitter in its eyes made my jaw drop. Was that thing gloating at my situation?
"Screw you, piggy. After I heal up, I am coming back to gut and skin your carcass!"
The hog's eyes didn't change, and dizzily I turned to the nearest tree. Had I seriously just threatened a legless hog? I grinned through the pain.
With my ax as a crutch, I moved towards the tree. I had only a single healing spell and no poison removal or potions of any kind. I should have asked Eliandra for some when I had the chance, I thought, knowing it was useless. Back then, everything had seemed fine, and there was no need to ask for healing potions of any kind.
When I finally reached the tree, my leg was a burning mess of pain. A tingling sensation ran from the wound further up my leg. Staring at the massive tree, wrapped tightly in thorn bushes, I groaned. I couldn't touch the trunk! The thorn bushes were just too thick.
Shaking my head in weary resignation, I decided to look for a spell to control plants in the future. Dropping my backpack, I balanced on one leg and sliced at the bush. My vision dimmed, and a second later, I realized I was lying on the ground, staring up at the tree. Slicing those thorn bushes wasn't going to happen. I needed to touch that tree to heal myself with Share Lifeforce, and I needed to do it fast.
"Dammit…" I moaned, struggling to get up. I felt powerless but knew sitting down and resting would only make it worse. Grabbing my bag and ax, I stared at the thorns. There wasn't any other choice. Through gritted teeth, I grabbed the thick bush and started climbing.
No matter how much I tried to take care, thorns stabbed my fingers almost immediately, and they began bleeding. Focusing on the pain from my leg, I cursed and continued climbing.
Five minutes later, the longest of my life, I reached the first of the branches. With the last of my willpower, I dragged my body up. The branch was thick enough to sit on, but I could roll off if I weren't careful.
After catching my breath for a moment, I cast Share Lifeforce. A thick stream of energy ran up my hand and spread throughout my body. I could feel it wash away the pain. Staring at my leg, I could see the bump beneath the blood-drenched cloth become smaller.
I saw something move on my arms and looked. Rapidly, scratches and puncture wounds made by the thorn bushes knit together, blood clots forming before turning into thick crusts that fell off. Within moments, all that was left were scars. The haziness in my mind dissipated, but at the same time, I felt a wave of fatigue set in.
When the stream of energy from the tree ended, my leg felt a whole lot better, but I was almost asleep where I sat. Forcing myself to stay awake, I unwrapped the cloth on my leg. The wound was gone, and a large thick scar remained. I didn't see the green spots anywhere and sighed in relief.
Putting my head down, I felt my eyelids close with a finality that made me surge back up. No! If I fell asleep now, I'd just fall from the tree! Keeping myself awake, I looked around for a spot to sleep.
Although ugly as hell, the dark gnarled trees had one benefit over their green-leafed, straight-limbed brethren. Everywhere in the tree, gnarled branches wove together, creating pockets of densely woven branches. They looked sturdy, almost like braided bowls, and I climbed towards the closest. As soon as I lay down on the interwoven branches, I knew it would be impossible to get up for a while.
As my eyes began shutting, I grabbed my bag and scavenged for the small hellhound carving, finding it on touch. Barely awake, I tried to put a vengeful spirit inside. It took longer than the first time, and I almost thought nothing would happen. Then, as if from far away, something reacted, and the small carving shivered before struggling in my hand.
"Guard me for as long as you can," I muttered, knowing the one hour window would be far too short. Still, it was better than nothing. I prayed to Rathica that I would wake in an hour.
I fell asleep before I could hear any response; if any came.